Adobe Privacy Policy

Last updated: Jun 18, 2014

The Adobe Privacy Policy describes the privacy practices of Adobe’s websites, products, online services, and apps. If you are a resident of North America, your relationship is with Adobe Systems Incorporated, a United States company, and the laws of California and the laws of the United States apply. If you reside outside North America, your relationship is with Adobe Systems Software Ireland Limited, which is the controller with regard to your personal information, and the laws of Ireland apply.

What does this privacy policy cover?

This privacy policy describes the privacy practices of Adobe’s websites, as well as our products, online services, and apps that include a link to this policy (we refer to our products, online services, and apps as "applications"). This privacy policy also applies to Adobe’s marketing and advertising practices. Companies acquired by Adobe may operate under their own privacy policies (learn more). We also provide additional privacy-related information for certain Adobe websites and applications. Please also see the Adobe Terms of Use and any additional Terms of Use or Product License Agreements that may apply to the website or application you are using.

What information does Adobe collect about me?

Adobe ID, registration and customer support
When you register to use an Adobe website or application, create an Adobe ID, or contact us for support or other offerings, Adobe collects information that identifies you. This may include your name, company name, email address, or payment information. We may also sometimes collect other information that does not identify you, such as your job title or industry. Some of this information is required and other information is optional (more information about what specific Adobe websites and applications collect). For student and teacher editions of our applications, information regarding your eligibility is required. To help keep our databases current and to provide you the most relevant content and experiences, we may combine information from you with information from public sources and our trusted partners, in accordance with applicable law. For example, from these sources, we may learn the company size and industry of our business customers.

Adobe websites and applications
We collect information about how you use our websites and applications, including when you use a desktop product feature that takes you online (such as a photo syncing feature). We may collect information that your browser or device typically sends to our servers whenever you visit an Adobe website, or when an Adobe desktop product feature takes you online. For example, your browser or device may tell us your IP address (which may tell us generally where you are located) and the type of browser and device you used. When you visit an Adobe website, your browser may also tell us information such as the page that led you to our website and, if applicable, the search terms you typed into a search engine that led you to our website. Adobe may collect information about how you use our websites and applications by using cookies and similar technologies, and our servers may collect similar information when you are logged in to the website or application. Depending on the website or application, this information may be anonymous (for example, see the Adobe Product Improvement Program) or it may be associated with you (for example, see the Creative Cloud FAQ). Learn more about the information that specific Adobe websites or applications may collect. Learn about your privacy choices regarding how we use this information.

Adobe product activation and automatic updates
When you activate your Adobe product, we collect certain information about your device, the Adobe product, and your product serial number (learn more). Some of our products include features that connect to our servers and offer you the ability to install updates to the product. We may keep track of information such as whether the update was successful or not.

Adobe emails
Emails we send you may include a web beacon that tells Adobe whether you have received or opened the email, or clicked a link within the email. If you do not want us to collect this information from Adobe marketing emails, you can opt out of receiving Adobe marketing emails.

Adobe online advertising
Adobe advertises online in a variety of ways, including displaying Adobe ads to you across the Internet on websites and in apps. We collect information about which ads are displayed, which ads are clicked on, and on which web page the ad was displayed. Learn more about Adobe’s advertising practices.

Buttons, tools, and content from other companies
Adobe websites and applications may include buttons, tools, or content that link to other companies’ services (for example, a Facebook "Like" button). We may collect information about your use of these features. In addition, when you see or interact with these buttons, tools, or content, or view an Adobe web page containing them, some information from your browser may automatically be sent to the other company. Please read that company’s privacy policy for more information.

Adobe social networking pages and social sign-on services
Adobe has its own pages on many social networking sites (for example, the Adobe® Photoshop® team’s Facebook page). You may also be able to sign in to an Adobe website or application using a social networking account, such as a Facebook account. We may collect information when you interact with our social networking pages or use these sign-on features. Learn more about Adobe’s social networking practices.

What are cookies and how does Adobe use them?

Like most websites and applications, we use cookies and similar technologies to make our websites and applications work, as well as to learn more about our users and their likely interests (learn more).

Adobe websites may also use cookies and similar technologies from other companies that allow us to improve the effectiveness of our hosted services. Learn more about these Adobe hosted services, which help our customers provide their audiences with relevant content and advertising.

Does Adobe share my personal information?

Adobe works with companies that help us run our business. These companies provide services such as delivering customer support, processing credit card payments, and sending emails on our behalf. In some cases, these companies have access to some of your personal information in order to provide services to you on our behalf. They are not permitted to use your information for their own purposes.

With our resellers and other sales partners if you are a business customer and agreed to receive Adobe marketing communications. Note that we do not share personal information about consumers with third parties for their own marketing purposes unless the consumer agreed to that sharing.

When we are required to provide information in response to a subpoena, court order, or other applicable law or legal process (learn more).

When we have a good faith belief that the disclosure is necessary to prevent or respond to fraud, defend our websites or applications against attacks, or protect the property and safety of Adobe, our customers and users, or the public.

If we merge with or are acquired by another company, we sell an Adobe website, application, or business unit or all or a substantial portion of our assets are acquired by another company. In those cases your information will likely be one of the assets that is transferred.

We may share or publish aggregate information that doesn’t specifically identify you, such as statistical information about visitors to our websites or statistical information about how customers use our applications and hosted services.

There are several places on Adobe’s websites and applications that allow you to post comments, upload pictures, or submit content for others to see. Sometimes you might be able to limit who can see what you share, but there are some places where what you share can be seen by the general public or other members of the website or application. Please be careful when you share your personal information. Do not share anything you wouldn’t want publicly known unless you are sure you are posting it within a website or application that allows you to control who sees what you post. If you choose to share personal information or a document, the terms of this privacy policy will not apply to any information shared. Please note that when you post messages on certain user forums on our websites and applications, your email address or name may be included and displayed with your message.

To remove content you have shared on our websites and applications, please use the same website or application feature you used to share the content. If another user invites you to participate in shared viewing, editing, or commenting of content, you may be able to delete your contributions, but usually the user that invited you has full control. If you have questions or concerns about this, please contact us.

Where does Adobe store my personal information?

Your personal information and data files are stored on Adobe’s servers and the servers of companies we hire to provide services to us. Your personal information may be transferred across national borders because we have servers located worldwide and the companies we hire to help us run our business are located in different countries around the world (for example, Argentina, Australia, India, Ireland, Singapore, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and the United States). For more information about transfers of personal information from the European Economic Area (the EEA) and Switzerland to the United States, please see Adobe’s Safe Harbor policy.

How can I review or update my personal information or close my Adobe ID account?

Under the law of some countries, you may have certain rights to access, correct, or delete your personal information. Many of our websites and applications allow you to edit your personal information by accessing the "my account," "my profile," or similar feature of the website or application you are using.

If you want to request a deletion of your Adobe ID account, please email your request to privacy@adobe.com. Note that we need to retain certain records for legal or internal business reasons (such as fraud prevention). Some of your information may remain on backup systems, in compliance with applicable law.

We will retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide you with the websites and applications you are eligible to use with your Adobe ID, or as needed to comply with our legal obligations or enforce our agreements.

Does Adobe participate in the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor program?

Adobe Systems Incorporated (our U.S. company) has certified to the EU Safe Harbor Framework with respect to personal information we receive from our subsidiaries, corporate customers, and other business partners located in the EU and Switzerland (see Adobe’s Safe Harbor policy).

Will this privacy policy change?

Occasionally, we may change or update this privacy policy (or other documents in the Adobe Privacy Center) to allow Adobe to use or share your previously collected personal information in a materially different way. If we do, the links to the policy on our websites and online services (which are generally found in the footer of the website or online service) will indicate that the policy has been changed or updated. For new users, the change or update will become effective upon posting. For existing users, the change or update will become effective 30 days after posting. We encourage you to periodically review the Adobe Privacy Center for the latest information on our privacy practices.